Snowmobiles are designed for travel on a variety of surfaces and terrains, rough and smooth, soft and rigid, level, and inclined upwards or inclined downwards. While the snowmobile engine drives the snowmobile, its suspension system provides stability and control for proper operation of the snowmobile. The suspension system is additionally designed to provide cushioning from the unevenness of the surface being traveled upon, and thereby, to provide a comfortable riding experience. Snowmobiles and snowmobile suspension systems are generally adapted for different uses, such as for utility or for recreation. The configuration of a snowmobile and its suspension system can also be optimized for different riding conditions, such as terrain roughness, inclination and other trail conditions.
A versatile snowmobile should be usable by different riders in different riding conditions. It is therefore desirable to have a snowmobile, with adjustable configurations, so that the snowmobile can be optimized for different riding conditions, and to have this adjustment be simple, robust and reliable.
In some situations, such as for riding on inclined surfaces, it is important to adjust the weight distribution between the front and rear portions of the snowmobile, which is partly determined by the separation between the front portion of the chassis and the slide rails associated with the snowmobile track. This separation is typically limited by a limiter strap in the rear suspension of the snowmobile that is connected between the slide rails and the tunnel of the snowmobile chassis. Often, the limiter straps are in the form of a belt with a series of holes on either end, and the length of the belt is adjusted, for example, for riding on level surfaces or upwardly inclined slopes, by changing which holes are used to connect the belt. However, this adjustment is not an easy one for a rider to make, especially while out on a trail during a ride, as it requires accessing components on the underside of the chassis and tools for making the adjustment.
Therefore, there is a need for a limiter strap adjustment system for more easily adjusting a limiter strap of a rear suspension assembly of a snowmobile which is also robust enough to withstand normal riding conditions.